Medusa's Gift
by Hannaadi88
Summary: Heady after completing his mission to behead the gorgon, Alfred makes his way back home. On the way he meets a man chained to a rock, an offering for a sea monster. Naturally, Alfred saves the poor man from his fate- but why won't he thank him?


The gods were smiling down on him, for sure. How could they not? With Medusa's head in his bag and a pure white winged horse at his beck and call, how could he be anything but blessed?

He had risked everything to find the monster, traveling to the middle of the desert to fulfill his promise to his king. He had beheaded the vile creature which turned men into stone with a mere glance. He had done what no man had done before him and lived to tell the tale. Riding astride the mare he had named Pegasus, he could brush the clouds with his fingers. Nothing would ever tempt him down from the sky.

Nothing, that is, except for a shining brightness, a spark of gold against the never ending ocean blue. Giving in to his curious nature, Alfred felt adrenaline pump through his veins as he dived down and cut through the air, guiding his horse to the ground.

As he drew in close, the bright light fragmented into individual shards, all winking at him from below. They seemed to come from the sea. As he neared the surface, Alfred realized that there was something more to the simple alluring shine.

Chained to the flat surface of a rock polished smooth by constant buffeting of waves a few paces into the sea was a young man.

Alfred widened his eyes as he felt his horse's hooves press against the rocky ground at a safe distance from the chained boy.

At first, Alfred wasn't quite sure if the chained creature was human. Why would anyone chain a fellow mortal to a rock to be hit repetitively by the rough sea?

The boy's appearance did nothing to clarify Alfred's doubts. The young man had the palest complexion Alfred had ever seen, smooth and unblemished skin exposed to the harsh elements with only a small cloth tied around his hips for decency. Tentatively, Alfred climbed off of his horse and walked towards the man, frowning at the bowed head. Was the man even alive?

From the short distance, the source of the sheen he had seen earlier was clear- the other's arms and legs were ordinated with golden bangles and jeweled anklets which reflected in the sunlight.

Alfred gaped. He couldn't help himself.

As if sensing his presence the boy raised his head, fear clearly visible in his startlingly green eyes as he met Alfred's gaze. But after a moment of confusion, the fear faded and the boy lowered his head back down, uninterested in the stranger who had materialized out of thin air.

Irritation sparked through Alfred's chest as he approached the chained boy. They never met before, but surely someone who had obviously been abandoned would rejoice in company? More specifically, _his _company. Alfred had never been so clearly dismissed so early on in his acquaintances.

"My name is Alfred," he announced grandly, trying to grasp the other's attention once more. The boy raised his head and looked him over with a sharp glance. Alfred, glad for the new-found interest the stranger had in him, elaborated. "Alfred F. Jones."

If he had hoped for the other to recognize his name as the famous slayer of Medusa, he would have been terribly disappointed. "I do not give a fig over who you happen to be," the stranger snapped, green eyes narrowing as he seemed to shrink away from Alfred's stare. "But if you will be so kind as to stop staring at my jewels and leave me alone, I would be much obliged."

A crease formed between Alfred's brows as he drew closer. "I'm not looking at your jewels," he stated, eyes studying the smoothness of the boy's chest before meeting his eyes meaningfully. "I'm looking at you. Who are you? Why are you chained to this rock?"

The stranger's body stiffened under Alfred's scrutinizing stare. He moved his arms as if to cover himself but was quickly thwarted by his chains. "Are you here to mock me?" he inquired, pursing his lips. When Alfred gave him a quizzical look, he sighed and closed his eyes.

"You must be a foreigner, then. My name is Arthur, prince of this city," he indicated with his chin towards the tall walls in the distance, eyes darkening at the sight of them before turning back to Alfred.

"And if you have yet to grasp my situation, I am an offering for the sea monster."

At Arthur's explanation, Alfred's hand instinctively went to his side, brushing the hilt of his sword briefly.

"A sacrifice? What sea monster?"

The other scowled and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, boy, a sacrifice. For a sea monster that has been terrorizing my city for years. Now if you fancy to live another day, love, I would suggest you run off and let me live out my last moments in peace."

Determination sparked in Alfred's eyes. He dashed forward and grabbed at the chains holding Arthur captive to the rock, slicing through them with his sword. He pulled Arthur to him, feeling the wetness of his skin seep into his tunic.

"You're coming with me," he informed Arthur as he lifted him over his shoulder, carrying the thrashing and shouting prince to his horse. "I'm saving you from that monster. You're too pretty to be eaten."

Arthur gave up his thrashing once he realized that his efforts were futile- this Alfred had some sort of inhuman strength he could never dream of overcoming. "I do not want to be saved," he yelled over the waves, struggling against Alfred's hold around his waist as he was forced to straddle a strange beast. "I refuse to leave my city with some stranger."

Alfred wouldn't hear of it. "You can't go back to the people who were willing to let you die for them," he explained slowly to the other as they took off, his hold tight around Arthur. He had done a good deed and saved a damsel (well, lad) in distress- and a pretty one to boot. Arthur's ingratitude would surely fade later on.

.x.

Only that it didn't. Sighing silently to himself, Alfred added another log to the bonfire he had lit hours before on the sandy beach, illuminating the darkness of the night and battling away the cold. He watched from the corner of his eye as Pegasus settled down on the ground and curled up into himself, ducking his head beneath his massive wing.

Alfred smiled softly as he crouched in front of the fire and extended his hands over the flames to warm them up. He turned his head and looked over at Arthur's huddled form further away from the bonfire, curled up with his back pointedly to Alfred.

Ever since he had been saved Arthur had been a string of never-ending complaints, whining and shouting and threatening as only a royal prince could for Alfred to fly him back to his people.

Alfred had refused, of course, unable to stomach how the other seemed to forget that if it weren't for him, he'd be a pile of bones in the belly of a sea monster by then.

It was almost as if he hadn't wanted to be saved in the first place- an unlikely notion, of course, but the longer Arthur complained the more Alfred began to believe it might just be the case.

Watching the practically naked (and blissfully silent) boy struggling to maintain his body heat made Alfred shift uncomfortably next to the fire. He didn't like the idea of Arthur needlessly suffering from the cold at night, not when Alfred conveniently had a blanket with him.

He stood up and walked towards his sleeping horse, carefully digging through his saddle bag before pulling out the large blanket and fingering the wool thoughtfully. There was only enough fabric to fully cover one person, and Alfred wasn't keen on sleeping without it. But one more glance at Arthur's bare form made up his mind and he approached the prone figure, looking down at him in earnest.

"Would you like a blanket?" he offered cheerfully, taken aback (but not surprised) at Arthur's colorful retort. Shrugging, Alfred turned away and headed back towards the fire, settling down on the sand and wrapping the fabric tightly around himself.

After a few minutes he turned in Arthur's direction, taking in the violent shivering of the other's body.

Guilt propelled him forward as he lifted himself to his knees and crawled up to the prince's cold form and stopped at his back, lying down on the sand and spreading the blanket over them both with some of his own body left to the mercy of the elements.

He felt Arthur's muscles tense at his proximity and at the suddenness of the blanket on top of him, but after a few moments, his body relaxed and Alfred could hear a small appreciative sigh.

An idea formed in Alfred's mind. Slowly, he turned to his side and snaked an arm around the other's waist, pressing himself closer to Arthur's bare back. With a satisfied smile he rested his chin on top of Arthur's head, closing his eyes. Perfect.

Arthur didn't agree. At least not right away. The prince turned around tentatively to face Alfred before hesitantly pressing his chest to the other's and burying his forehead in the crook of Alfred's neck, wrapping his arms around his back and letting the tears flow.

An unexpected wave of tenderness washed over Alfred as he adjusted his limbs to their new position. He silently rested a hand on Arthur's hip as his other palm ran soothingly up and down Arthur's naked back, warming the cold skin and offering comfort to a man who had been through enough emotional turmoil to last him a lifetime.

Alfred couldn't imagine what Arthur must have felt as his family and people- those he had loved his whole life- had chained him to a rock and adorned him with jewels and gold to attract a sea monster's attention.

How was it like to know that your hours were numbered as you waited for said monster to come? The shock and confusion as you were saved by an unknown stranger who was most likely in it for the gold you wore?

"…I'm sorry," Alfred whispered against Arthur's hairline, pausing and pulling the other against him in a tighter embrace.

"I've been awful to you today, haven't I?"

The grip on his shirt tightened before it disappeared completely, both of Arthur's hands slipping between them to rest on Alfred's shoulder blades as he met his gaze, emerald blazing against the onyx night.

"You saved my life," the man whispered quietly, biting his lip self-consciously. "I should be the one apologizing. I never did thank you properly."

Alfred had been surprised by the other's concession, but not as surprised as when Arthur leaned in and pressed his mouth against his briefly before pulling away. "What was that?" he whispered, studying the other's face intently.

Arthur smiled sheepishly as he looked down between them, avoiding Alfred's eyes. "My way of expressing gratitude," he said softly, pursing his lips.

A small smirk appeared on Alfred's face as he cupped Arthur's chin in his palm and prompted it up, meeting his gaze brimming with excitement and satisfaction.

"Think you can you thank me again?"

* * *

><p><em>I don't know about you, but I always was fascinated by Greek myths. One of my favorites was Perseus, and I couldn't help myself but think about him immediately when I was told that the prompt this fic was written for (on the usuk community on LJ) included myths. Well then *smile* This was hurried, as you can tell, but I had so much fun writing it XD<em>


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